Scarlet Ghost: Secret Invasion
by Jasper The Viper Arlington
Summary: Evil is lurking. On the verge of an invasion. No, it has already begun. The Secret Invasion has begun. And Veronica has to save the Arcade before it's too late!


Prologue 

Los Angeles, California 

August 10, 2007

"Man, this box.. looks so.. WEIRD! Why is there candle wax all over the whole thing?" A 7-year old boy named Max looks confused as he looks at the strange looking box.

It's 8 PM in his neighborhood in Los Angeles, tomorrow is the last day of school and Max can't sleep for him thinking of the vacation already. He just finished reviewing and he is now holding the strange-looking box, asking himself if he should bring it to school or not.

His mom just came in his room and asks him if he's done reviewing. "Max, are you done reviewing for your Math and Science exams? Because if you don't, we will not go to your grandparents' house in Downtown LA tomorrow. Our things are already packed up. So sleep now, if you want to go to Downtown LA tomorrow, okay, Max?" "Ok, mom! Oh, and before forget, do you know what this box is?" Max asked curiously as he showed the box to his mom. "Hmmm.. I don't know what that is. Neither your dad knows. Maybe your grandparents know. But for now, get some sleep because it's your last day of school and your exams, Max!" "Good night, mom." "Good night, Max." Max's mom said as she kissed his forehead and went to her and her husband's bedroom.

"I wonder what this box is.." Max sighed as he placed the box next to his lamp and turned it off and went to sleep.

\--

It's now 3 AM in Los Angeles and the entire neighborhood is asleep. Max is sleeping peacefully until after a few seconds after 3 AM hit, Max started to have a dream. Both horrifying and good at the same time, though..

It's him sleeping in his room. Same day, same hour. The box is still on his side. Something whispered his name. "Max." The voice said. Max woke up and rubbed his eyes and looks around his room to see if there's anyone with him in his room.

"Umm.. hello? Anyone there?" Max asks as he turns on his lamp. "Mom? Dad? Layla? Anyone there?" Nothing responded. "Hmm. I'll check Layla's room to see if she's there."

Max said to himself as he goes to Layla's room. "Max.. I'm here" It's that mysterious voice again, whispering his name. "Hey! I heard that! Stop playing games.. whoever you are! Show yourself!" Max shouts not so loud, hoping not to wake anyone up. "I'm here.. in the basement.." "Why would you be in the basement?" "I... have to show you something.." The voice said. "Umm... no thanks. My dad said to not trust strangers, even if their gonna show or give me something. It's called "Stranger Danger", right? So, no, thank you. I'll head to Layla's bedroom. "But I'm Layla!" Layla exclaimed at Max. "What? But you didn't even sound like Layla earlier! I'm opening the door." Max said, confused, as he opened Layla's bedroom door, and noticed that Layla is not inside her bedroom. "I told you, Max. I'm Layla. I want to show you something." Layla said. "Umm.. okay then.." Max, still not sure what else to do, told Layla that he is coming to the basement, since Layla's bedroom is near the basement door on the first floor.

Max is now fully opens the door to the basement and slowly walks in. Scared, he calls out Layla's name as he walks down the stairs. "Um.. Layla? Are you there?" "Yes, Max. I'm here. Come on!" Layla exclaims as he pulls Max's arm to an area where he sees all their old toys since they were so young (around 2-7 years old). "Wow, Layla! Our old toys, you.. you kept them! I thought I lost them, even though they're scattered." When they were young, even though they're scattered, Layla gets the scattered toys and keeps them in the basement for safe keeping. "Thank you, Layla. You're the best sister ever." "Y-you're welcome, Max." They both hugged for a while and let go and they stayed there for a while and talked about anything. And they suddenly slept there after playing with their toys.

10 minutes later, Max is still asleep, and meanwhile, at Max's bedroom, the box fell because the half of the box was beyond the table where both the box and the lamp were, and the lamp started to flicker, until it suddenly turned off! The box opened, and a demon came out off the box! "After all this time I'm free!!!!!!!" The demon Aezerathibou shouted, which made both Max and Layla wake up.

"Ugh, what's that noice? Who shouted?" Max asked Layla. "I don't know either, Max. But I'm scared." Max looks at Layla as she wrapped her arms around Max, and Max did the same, comforting her. "Me too, Layla. Let's get out off here and sleep in my room if you like." "O-ok, Max. Thank you.." "Come on, Layla." Max said as he and Layla walked to his room, looking around to see if anyone else is around.

Max and Layla both arrived at Max's bedroom and hear something that's talking.

"There's someone inside my room.. Mom and Dad are asleep." Max said, confused at the same time, to Layla. "Just open the door, but not fully open! We don't want to get their attention, Max." Layla instructed Max as he nooded and slowly opened the door, and they both noticed Azerathibou with other demons with him. "What are they doing? What's that circle with a star in it and candles on each point of the star?" Max asked Layla, hoping if she knows. "That's a pentagram, Max. And it looks like they're doing some kind or ritual or something like that.." The 10-year old sister responded to Max. "I see.." Max said as he nooded his head. "What should we do?" Max asked Layla. "I... I don't know.. pray to the Lord to make the demons go away, maybe.." Layla said, unsure and scared, "I'll go get a rosary in my bag, and a cross at the altar at the living room, Max." Layla told Max as she was about to leave. "Wait. What is they're not the only ones that are present in this house? I should go with you, Layla. I don't want you to go alone, even if you're 2 years older than me. You're my sister, Layla." Max said to Layla, scared that something bad might happen to her. "Thanks, Max. Come on" Layla smiled at Max as the two siblings go together to the living room.

Both Layla and Max now got the cross and the rosary from Layla's bag, which is in the living room. As they arrived at Max's room, their "mom" just walked out off the master bedroom. "Kids, what are you doing up so early? Why are you holding a rosary and a cross? Put those back and go to sleep. You're gonna be so late and sleepy for the exams later!" "Mom" said to the siblings. "But mom, we saw like 4 black demons in Max's bedroom. That's why we got these two. In case they come for us, we're ready, I guess." Max explained to his "mom" "We also need to pray to the Lord to make them go away." Layla finished for Max."You really think it would be that easy, Max and Layla?" Now their "Dad" came out of nowhere. "Dad? I thought you're supposed to be in your night shift? Your shift is like from 12 AM to 6 AM." Layla asked her "Dad", confused. "That's what you think.." "What?"

Both Max and Layla asked in unison and in confusion. "Dad" suddenly smiled (like how the people who smile [possessed by Calux] in Blumhouse's Truth or Dare 2018) and he is burning as the skin started to peel of until he became a demon who has no face except for a big mouth when opened (same way Pennywise opens his mouth, but the demon's mouth if fully open (like the entire mouth occupies the front of the head) and roared at the two siblings. "AAAAHHHH!" Both siblings screamed as they started to run! "Mom" has finished transforming into a

faceless monster (same look as "Dad"'s) and both demons chased the two siblings.

"What the heck are those?! I thought they're Mom and Dad!!" Max asked loudly and scared at the same time at Layla.

"I don't know what they are! But what's important is that you hold onto my hand and we get the hell out of here!" Layla responded back loudly at Max as the two siblings were running away from the two demons.

As the two siblings reached the front door of the house, unknown to them, Azerabithou was waiting for them outside, standing on the their door step.

"Come on, Layla! They could show up right behind us at any second!" Max told Layla. "I'm hurrying! Damn, these locks are hard to open sometimes!" That's because the locks of the front door involve the door knob lock, the chain lock, and the 2 locks (one at the top and one at the bottom) that you have to pull it backward and pull it either left for right. And the lock that is sometimes hard to open is the lower lock.

Now that Layla managed to unlock the lower lock of the door, they hrh went out and saw Azerabithou jump at them.

"AAAHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" The two siblings screamed in fear as Azerabithou ate them!

"AAAHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Max screamed as he woke up from his dream, he sat up and looked around, to see if what he saw in his dream is with him right now. Unfortunately, nothing was there. Max turned on his lamp and checked the time. It's 4:48 AM. Max sighed as Layla came in, worried that something might have happened to him.

"Max! Are you alright?! Your scream woke me up!" Layla asked Max, panting and worried.

"Yeah.. I just had a really bad nightmare. We were eaten by demons in the nightmare!" Max responded to Layla.

"What? That's horrible! At least it didn't happen in reality. It's just a dream." Layla said as she closed the door and went to Max's bed and comforted/hugged him.

"I'm always here for you, Max. No matter what happens. We always there for each other, right, Max?" Layla asked as she comforted Max.

"Yeah.. thanks.. big sis.." Max responded to Layla as he and Layla smiled.

"Can you sleep with me?" Max asked, as he's closing his eyes.

"Yeah. I can." Layla responded softly.

"Okay, good night, Layla." "Good night, Max" They both said "Good night" to each other as they slept together in Max's bedroom. Unknown to the both of them, the strange-looking box has disappeared..


End file.
